I started working with my hands at a young age. The youngest of five brothers, I took on the role as a “maintenance ( 维 修 ) man” at an early age for our family’s small grocery store. Often my dad wouldn’t give me a clear idea of how something should be done, so I just had to figure it out by researching or through trial and error.
Fast forward to 2016 and those problem-solving skills would become the focus of Tippecanoe High School’s Homebuilding class. I knew I wanted to teach the students skills that went beyond just being able to hammer nails or cut pieces of two-by-fours. The problem was that we didn’t have the resources at the time to do much else. The idea of attracting some type of funding seemed very important. Designing, building and selling a tiny house on wheels seemed like the perfect project to accomplish the task. I reached out to a number of local businesses and most of them responded with the greatest support for what x k w we were doing.
This year we added a new element to the program. Through one of our partners, we were able to connect with the nonprofit Veteran’s Ananda Incorporated. Students in the Homebuilding class are leading the design and production of micro houses to be donated to this organization. The new partnership gives the students another focus to consider when designing and building the houses.
There has been no shortage of students since our first year. Three years ago we had 41 students, the next 191, and this year it was limited to just over 160 students so we could have a safe and manageable classroom environment. The number of girls taking the class has risen steadily over the last few years as well. This class offers something for everyone and the skills are universal.
1. How can we describe the young author?| A．He opened a small grocery store. |
| B．He did a lot of research in the lab. |
| C．He enjoyed doing hands-on activities. |
| D．He learnt about maintenance from his father. |
| A．Getting some financial support. |
| B．Selling a tiny house on wheels. |
| C．Reaching out to many local businesses. |
| D．Offering the students some problem-solving skills. |
| A．Its size needs increasing. |
| B．It is popular with the students. |
| C．It has caused some safety concerns. |
| D．Its classroom environment is hard to manage. |
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【推荐1】Feeding a crowd of hundreds doesn’t make Kenny Seals-Nutt nervous.
In fact, he loves being in the kitchen.
By the time Kenny, 16, reached his third year of high school in Charlotte, US, he had become vice president of his school’s cooking club.
Kenny said he developed his love of cooking by watching his grandmother, who owned a business.
And at the age of 5, he cooked his first dish. Taking it to school for lunch, he warmed it up in the school’s microwave, while the other kids ate their sandwiches.
“I love to eat, and it started to become more fun to cook than to have food prepared for me,” he said.
Cooking came easy to Kenny, and he enjoyed adding new ingredients (原料)into common dishes. “It started with a passion（热情）and I wanted to know more,” he said.
Last summer, Kenny put his skills to the test by working with his grandmother to cater his uncle’s wedding. Kenny added new changes to the traditional（传统的）dishes that his grandma had prepared.
Chef Frederick Mookie Hicks, owner of a catering business, said Kenny’s success comes from his ability（能力）to multitask（多任务）in the kitchen.
“He’s so enthusiastic（热情的）about cooking that he doesn’t let anything stop him,” Hicks said.
1. What inspired（激励）Kenny’s interest in cooking?| A．The cooking club in his school. | B．His love for eating. |
| C．His desire to run a catering business alone. | D．The sight of his grandmother cooking. |
| A．have fun at | B．be present at | C．provide food for | D．make a plan for |
| A．Traditional. | B．Creative. | C．Simple. | D．Strange. |
a. His passion for cooking. b. His cooperation with others.
c. His ability to multitask. d. His special family background.
| A．a, b | B．a, c | C．b, c | D．c, d |
【推荐2】A hobby is an investment of time. It also can be an investment of money and commitment. Many people choose to develop more than one type of hobby. It can be necessary to select the hobby that is right for you.
Hobbies are usually an activity of some sort that brings out a certain skill that you have. When you have a talent like painting or woodworking，it can be easy to determine which hobby suits your skill.
Some people particularly enjoy taking part in hobbies that they can do in a group with others. It can be a lot more fun to become a member of a hobby group than to sit alone in your basement.
Hobbies are generally an activity that you undertake（着手做）because of the joy it brings you. Of course many people have discovered the joy that also comes with a hobby that earns you a living.
| A．Look for one or start your own. |
| B．However，hobbies don't have to be skill-related. |
| C．Make a list of things that you enjoy or don't know about. |
| D．Read hobby books to learn more about your chosen hobby！ |
| E．When it comes to choosing the hobby，consider the following factors |
| F．Most hobbies can easily be done within your own home，at your leisure. |
| G．Whether it's full-time or part-time or neither，you must decide whether your hobby applies to you. |
【推荐3】Challenging, fun, and engaging hobbies have the power to make us happier and healthier. Research suggests that hobbies lead to better physical health, more sleep, lower stress, greater life satisfaction, a larger social network, and improved work performance.
Ask yourself how you want to feel.
To decide a hobby, you can ask yourself how you want an activity to make you feel. Mentally engaged, relaxed, or socially connected? It can also be helpful to consider what your life is missing, like creativity or physical activity, and allow that to guide your choices.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? The answer could point you toward an appealing hobby. Suppose you wanted to be a soccer player. Joining a soccer team or coaching neighborhood kids could make a passion. Besides, revisit activities you loved when you were young, like drawing pictures or collecting stamps. Doing so is a really helpful place to start, and it allows you to feel comfortable.
Go ”back to school“.
Consider following a class at a local university or signing up for a lesson to learn more about a potential hobby. You’ve always dreamed of writing a novel?
Think of discovering new hobbies as an adventure that will add new meanings to your life, and enjoy the process.
| A．Take a trip back in time. |
| B．Sign up for a fiction-writing program. |
| C．There’s no such thing as one perfect hobby forever. |
| D．Look for potential hobbies to add to your hobby list. |
| E．Childhood delights can easily evolve into adult hobbies. |
| F．We asked experts to share strategies for discovering the hobbies. |
| G．Don’t put too much time and money in a new hobby immediately. |
【推荐1】As parents, we must teach our children the importance and value of honesty from an early age. However, teaching our children to be honest isn't the same as teaching them to tie their shoes.
When should we start teaching them the difference between lies and the truth? Children under the age of 3 don't have the ability to understand the importance of values. As soon as they turn 3, however, it's important for parents to watch carefully. It isn't enough for parents to teach. We must also observe our child's behavior.
Rewarding children can be a great motivation for their learning. They will start to link honesty with something positive. This will help create a trustful environment within the family.
As our children grow up, it's important to teach them the value of honesty.
| A．Let them understand the value of telling the truth. |
| B．Even if we're honest, our children may not be honest. |
| C．This will allow us to find out what makes the child lie. |
| D．We can't correct children's behavior through punishment. |
| E．At the same time, we shouldn't let our children hear us lying. |
| F．Specialists in child psychology have listed the reasons why children lie. |
| G．Punishment and anger don't always work when trying to stop children from lying. |
【推荐2】Even though one out of three American children live within a mile of their school, almost not half of those students often bike or walk to class, scientists report.
Children who live in the South, in country areas, or who have college-educated parents, are among those least likely to bike or walk to school, notes the report, which is published in July.
Sarah Martin and her workmates at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied materials from more than 7,000 children between 9 and 15 years of age.
They found that almost 35 percent of the children lived within one mile of their schools. Children between 11 and 13 years old were more likely to walk or bike than 9-year-olds. Children whose parents had a high school education were more likely to bike or walk than children with college-educated parents.
“The majority of children are missing an opportunity to increase daily physical activity,” Martin said in a prepared statement.
According to the CDC, nearly one in five (18.8 percent) children between 6 and 11 years old are overweight. Increased daily physical activity is one of the methods the CDC gives to help deal with obesity (肥胖)in children.
Martin said that there are all kinds of reasons why children in city areas might be more likely to bike or walk. They said the fact is that schools may be in mixed-use neighborhoods where it is more possible to bike or walk, compared with other places where there may be fewer safe sidewalks.
1. Sarah Martin and her workmates found that .| A．younger children would like to bike or walk to school |
| B．older children are much stronger than the younger children |
| C．kids whose parents received less education walk more |
| D．some children are becoming much lazier than others |
| A．eat too much every day | B．have unhealthy meals |
| C．are too busy to travel | D．take less physical activity |
| A．children should receive a better education |
| B．some children don’t bike or walk because there are fewer safe sidewalks |
| C．it is unnecessary for children to walk to school |
| D．children in country areas have more chance to bike or walk than those in cities |
| A．Education. | B．Culture. | C．Sports. | D．Health. |
【推荐3】Long ago, poems were recited out loud instead of being written down. Back when the Greeks first started the Olympics, they held poetry contests as well as athletic competitions.
Now, poetry competitions have been revived. This year 120,000 high school students competed in the first Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest, performing poems from memory for $100,000 in prizes.
The first competitions were held in classrooms. The winners went on to schoolwide contests, and then they competed in city and state competitions, and then the 50 state champions, along with the District of Columbia champion, came to Washington, D. C., last week for the last showdown(对决). After the 51 champions competed against one another,12 went on to the finals. Then the field was narrowed to five. The final five had one last chance to “perform” a poem. The overall champ, Jackson Hille, a high school senior from Ohio, won a $20,000 scholarship.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation started Poetry Out Loud because they realized that hearing a poem performed is a different experience from reading it on the page.
It’s not just a matter of saying the words in the right order. It’s the tone of voice, the pauses, the gestures, and the attitude of the person performing that bring the words to life. “Each time we hear somebody recite a poem, we understand again what we found fresh and interesting about it,” says National Public Radio broadcaster Scott Simon, master of ceremonies for the finals. Hearing it in a new voice offers something new to the listener.
Not only do the people hearing poems have a new experience, memorizing and presenting poems helps the participants understand those poems in a new way. Another benefit of a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that the participants learn public-speaking skills that can help them for life.
1. From the first paragraph, we can know _______.| A．the Greeks were the first to write poems |
| B．the Olympics used to start with poem reciting |
| C．poems were spread orally in the past |
| D．athletes were asked to recite poems before competing |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．bring a new life to listeners |
| B．help listeners find their interest |
| C．make listeners learn the words |
| D．offer something new to listeners |
| A．become confident while speaking in public |
| B．write good poems themselves |
| C．change their attitudes towards life |
| D．make friends with many great poets |
| A．Reciting poems improves your memory |
| B．Remembering a lot of poems is fun |
| C．Poets have a great time |
| D．Poetry rocks the microphone |
【推荐1】The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I’d been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt, “ The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place. Can’t you see things from my point of view? ” I shook my head stubbornly-and felt the ache in my tooth. I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.
“ If you come by right now, ” the receptionist said, “ the dentist will fit you in. ”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my icecold one.
When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “ Don’t worry. The dentist is very good. ”
“ How long do I have to wait for him? ” I asked impatiently.
“ Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork, ” the assistant said.
“ The artwork? ”I was puzzled.
The chair went back. Suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief!
1. Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?| A．Upset. | B．Nervous. | C．Cheerful. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
| B．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| C．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| D．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| A．Because the dentist came at last. | B．Because she could relax in the chair. |
| C．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling. | D．Because the assistant kept comforting her. |
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. | B．Put oneself in other’s shoes. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | D．Have a good word for one’s friend. |
【推荐2】I never meant to be a teacher. I watched my mother over the years, and I knew it wasn’t for me. Going back to school to learn French and then teach the language, our mother had changed the center of her world when we were pre-teens. I saw how hard our mother worked—the long hours she kept as she graded papers when we went to bed. I knew how worried she could be over her students when they were troubled and how much of their stress she took on herself.
What I didn’t realize was this life she’d chosen offered her deep rewards.
As I grew up, I fell in love with a French-speaking Swiss man who asked me to marry him and move to Switzerland. Years later, when I found myself back in my hometown with a small child and a love of my second language, a chance arose for me to join my mother’s world of education, and I accepted.
I landed in a primary school in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. From the first week, I knew I’d stick with teaching. This is the most challenging experience I’ve ever had, and absolutely the best. I teach French, and I have never felt so much excitement as when I receive smiles from children, or praise from other teachers.
Most of my students have not traveled outside the town where they live, and for some, a trip to the city museum proves the most adventurous experience in their lives.
I work late into each night creating lessons and activities for the following day, trying to come up with ways to attract my students and connect them to the larger world. I also plan to go back to school for further study so that I can also teach science, math, social studies, reading and writing.
1. Why did the author refuse to be a teacher at first?| A．She didn’t think it had much meaning. | B．She didn’t enjoy working with children. |
| C．Her mother wanted her to do something else. | D．It would take her too much time and energy. |
| A．When she had her own child. | B．Immediately after she started teaching. |
| C．During the time when she lived abroad. | D．When she learnt about her students’ dreams. |
| A．They work hard and dream big. |
| B．Most of them come from poor families. |
| C．Their lives are mostly limited to their hometown. |
| D．They knew nothing about French in the beginning. |
| A．Teach more subjects besides French. | B．Seek for a new job in a larger school. |
| C．Experiment with new teaching methods. | D．Go back to Switzerland for further education. |
【推荐3】Steven Spielberg never fails to blow us away with his imagination.
The US director’s latest film Ready Player One, which was released in Chinese cinemas on March 30, is a story set in the year 2045, when people escape their hopeless everyday lives by putting on a VR mask and entering a virtual world named Oasis. This fantasy land is filled with characters and settings right out of classic films and video games. At the age of 71, Spielberg is still at the top of his game.
Indeed, Spielberg has alw ays been a “gamer” himself — or more precisely, a “game changer”. When his thriller Jaws came out in 1975, it struck a chord with audiences all around the world and even kept people from going swimming for fear of the “teeth in the sea”. The film was also an example of what we know as summer hits. And again in 1982 his alien film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Spielberg challenged people’s belief that aliens are something to be feared by telling a story about a loving friendship betw een a space culture and a little boy.
Now comes Ready Player One. When Wade Watts, the film’s teenager leading figure, finally prevents Oasis from falling into the w rong hands, he is given ownership of the virtual world by its late designer James Haliday. But Watts makes a decision that he hopes will make people want to appreciate their real lives, instead of spending all their free time escaping reality in Oasis, which is a real-life message that Spielberg is trying to deliver to the audience.
1. Which movie mentioned in the passage is not a science fiction?| A．Ready Player One. | B．Jaws. | C．E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. | D．Jurassic Park. |
| A．Because his movies are very thrilling. |
| B．Because his movies are always leading the trend. |
| C．Because he could make a breakthrough at the age of 71. |
| D．Because he tries to convey an important message to his audiences. |
| A．We shouldn’t escape from reality. |
| B．He holds an optimistic view about human’s future. |
| C．There might be friendships between aliens and human beings. |
| D．VR technology will be widely used in our society in the future. |
| A．A Leading Director—Spielberg | B．Spielberg’s Life Achievements |
| C．Famous Blockbusters | D．A Game Changer—Spielberg |
